Code of Conduct | The Arlington Players

Purpose

The Arlington Players (“TAP”) is an all-volunteer membership organization, and as such, desires that all its volunteer and member interactions are free from all forms of discrimination and harassment, so that everyone can contribute fully and have equal opportunities. TAP, through its board and other representatives, shall ensure all volunteers and members are treated with dignity, decency, and respect within all their involvement in productions or TAP activities. Harassment, humiliation of any kind, and discrimination will not be tolerated, condoned, or ignored. This Code of Conduct has been approved by the Board and shall be the guiding principles.

All persons participating in any event that is sponsored, hosted, produced or otherwise under the authority or representation of TAP and/or a TAP-related production are expected to comply with this Code of Conduct and to take appropriate measures to ensure that any and all harassment, bullying, or discrimination, or like conduct does not occur and is reported to the Producer of a production or any member of the Board of Directors if it does occur.

Board members, and production producers and directors have the additional responsibility to act immediately on observations or allegations of harassment or discrimination and are responsible for creating and maintaining a harassment- and discrimination-free environment, addressing potential problems before they become serious.

Discrimination

TAP shall not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, disability, sexual orientation or identity, gender identity or expression, familial status, family responsibilities, genetic information, matriculation, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic (a “Protected Category” or “Protected Categories”).

Prohibited conduct under this policy includes, but is not limited to,

Making offensive or demeaning remarks about or directed at any person or group on the basis of any Protected Category.
Not permitting someone to participate in auditions based on any Protected Category. This does not prohibit a director from casting a role in his/her appropriate discretion, but discrimination shall not be a factor in the decision.

Harassment

Harassment is a course of comments or actions that are known, or ought reasonably to be known, to be unwelcome. It can involve words or actions that are known or should be known to be offensive, embarrassing, humiliating, demeaning or unwelcome, including any such words or actions based on a ground of discrimination identified by this policy.

Examples of harassment, but not be limited to, include:

Remarks, jokes or innuendos, including those related to any of the above grounds
Posting or circulating offensive pictures, graffiti or materials, whether in print form or via e-mail or other electronic means
Hostile or intimidating actions or remarks about any protected characteristic listed above or a person’s perceived ideology
If a person does not explicitly object to harassing behavior, or appears to be going along with it, this does not mean that the behavior is okay. The behavior could still be considered harassment under this Code of Conduct.
Sexual and gender-based harassment can include:
Gender-related comments about a person’s physical characteristics or mannerisms
Paternalism based on gender which undermines a person’s self-respect or position of responsibility
Physical contact without expressed consent and (in instances of creative application) applicable discussion or choreography
Suggestive or offensive remarks or innuendoes about members of a specific gender
Propositions of physical intimacy inside the work environment
Gender-related verbal abuse, threats or taunting
Leering or inappropriate staring
Bragging about sexual prowess or questions or discussions about sexual activities
Offensive jokes or comments of a sexual nature about an employee, audience member, volunteer, or Board member
Rough and vulgar humor or language related to gender
Display of sexually offensive pictures, graffiti or other materials including through electronic means
Demands for dates or sexual favors.

Sexual Advances or solicitation

This policy prohibits sexual solicitations or advances by any person who is in a position to grant or deny a benefit to the recipient of the solicitation or advance. This includes but is not limited to board members and production team members, where one person is in a position to grant or deny a benefit to the other. Reprisals for rejecting such advances or solicitations are also not allowed. i.e. Hugging

and touching can imply a sense of intimacy that is not shared, so TAP asks all participants to respect people’s boundaries and if asked to stop any form of contact, such request shall be immediately respected.

Bullying

Bullying is classified as behavior that psychologically or physically hurts, manipulates, or isolates a person within the workplace or professional environment. It can involve a singular or repeated incident, or a pattern of behavior that is intended to intimidate, offend, degrade, abuse, or humiliate a particular person or group of people. While bullying is a form of aggression, the actions can be both obvious and subtle. It is also qualified as the assertion of power through aggression by those in a position of influence or authority. As part of the Code of Conduct, bullying is a form of harassment that is under no circumstances to be tolerated, condoned, or ignored.

Examples of bullying, but not be limited to, include:

Spreading malicious rumors, gossip, or innuendo.
Excluding or isolating someone socially.
Intimidating a person.
Undermining or deliberately impeding a person's work.
Physically abusing or threatening abuse.
Withholding necessary information or purposefully giving the wrong information.
Making jokes that are perceived as offensive by spoken word or e-mail.
Intruding on a person's privacy by pestering, spying or stalking.
Assigning unreasonable duties or workload which are unfavorable to one person (in a way that creates unnecessary pressure).
Undermining a person in order to make them feel less than
Yelling or using profanity.
Criticizing a person persistently or constantly.
Belittling a person's opinions.
Unwarranted (or undeserved) punishment.

Procedure for Reporting a Complaint or Concern

If you feel comfortable and it is safe to do so, you may attempt to correct the issue directly by informing a harasser or abuser that their behavior is unacceptable and that it must stop immediately.

If any member or volunteer believes someone has violated this Code of Conduct, such person should immediately report the violation to the Board of Directors at execprod@thearlingtonplayers.org. Alternatively, a person may report a violation verbally to any member of the Board of Directors or to any member of a production team during the course of a show, who must immediately commit the complaint to writing via email to the Board of Directors at board@thearlingtonplayers.org. Should a complainant have a concern regarding a TAP Board Member, that person should immediately report the violation to the Executive Producer at execprod@thearlingtonplayers.org or the President at president@thearlingtonplayers.org..

NOTE REGARDING CONFIDENTIALITY: If requested by the complainant and lawfully possible, steps will be taken to keep the complainant’s identity confidential. Please note, should you choose not to identify yourself during the reporting of the incident we will not be able to contact you, and may not be able to enforce the policy to the fullest extent. To submit a complaint anonymously, please utilize our online Feedback Form found at: https://thearlingtonplayers.org/anonymous-feedback (this form is submitted to the Vice President’s email).

Process

A detailed investigation, led by two members of the Board of Directors assigned by the President, will be conducted, which may include interviewing the complainant, the alleged offender(s) and any other person who may provide information. Information received will be held in the strictest confidence possible. Alleged offenders will be informed that a complaint has been received, however the complainant will remain anonymous, unless otherwise discussed between the complainant and the investigating board members.

The investigation will begin no later than 7 business days from the initial complaint.

Once the investigation is completed, the investigating Board Members will provide to the Board a written report of recommendations to address the complaint, which may include, but not be limited to, the following:

disciplinary action of the person responsible for the violation
requirement to provide a formal apology
suspension, termination, or removal of the individual from their role or position, which may also include revoking membership or prohibiting future volunteer opportunities with TAP
discussion with the aggressor regarding expected and appropriate behavior and responsibilities
implementation of internal policies and/or measures to prevent the occurrence from happening again
Physical or sexual abuse will automatically trigger disciplinary action.

The complainant, the respondent and/or any affected parties will be informed of the outcome of the investigation and next steps. If applicable, there will be a follow-up put in place to monitor the interaction of the parties involved.

Any complaints that are found to be false will not be tolerated and will be considered a breach of this policy.

Notwithstanding the process above, in any extremely urgent and/or life-threatening situation, particularly with regard to serious violence, the most important and immediate concern is the safety and well-being of the affected person. If there is imminent danger to a person’s safety, police, fire department or paramedics should be called.

Should the concern involve the President, please contact the following alternative option:

Vice President - vp@thearlingtonplayers.org

Executive Producer - execprod@thearlingtonplayers.org

Or any other Board Member (refer to our website for additional contact information - https://thearlingtonplayers.org/about-us/meet-board/)

This form and referenced code do not supersede an individual’s right to pursue a police report and or investigation, or legal counsel. Similarly, TAP as an organization has a legal obligation to comply with all mandatory reporting requirements; nothing in this Code of Conduct shall prevent TAP as an organization from complying with mandatory reporting requirements and alerting authorities.

Retaliation

It is the policy of TAP to treat complainants under this Code with dignity and fairness. Retaliation against any person who complains of conduct prohibited under this Code is strictly forbidden and is considered prohibited conduct under this Code. Any allegations of retaliation will be investigated and handled using the same procedures described above.

If you have any questions regarding the above policy you may contact us at board@thearlingtonplayers.org.

Participation with The Arlington Players requires full compliance with this Code of Conduct, as adopted by the TAP Board of Directors on June 13, 2023. No exceptions to this policy will be made.